ANN ARBOR, Mich., April 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- ProQuest, an information firm central to research, today announced ProQuest SIRS® Issues Researcher is a finalist for the 2014 SIIA Education CODiE Awards for Best Social Sciences Instructional Solution. Earning this distinction year over year represents a solid track record of technology innovation and responsiveness to the changing needs in K-12 education. The SIIA CODiE Awards are the premier award for the software and information industries. Representing product excellence across 31 Education categories, 119 products are finalists in this competitive and coveted achievement.

SIRS Issues Researcher helps students make sense of the world by offering relevant, credible resources necessary for the research and understanding of 330+ current and pervasive Leading Issues. Aligned to Common Core, state and national learning standards, articles, graphics, charts, maps, government documents and other resource types are hand selected from more than 2,100 highly targeted sources. Product features such as Topic Overview pages, Essential Questions and Global Impact help build a solid foundation for understanding the issues. By telling the whole story with viewpoints from the pros and cons, to everything in-between, greater comprehension of the issue by the student is achieved.

"ProQuest helps educators capture students' curiosity, inspiring them to learn through an extraordinary range of content. For SIRS Issues Researcher, we seek the most relevant and reliable sources for information to encourage dialog and critical thinking about the major issues of our society," said Simon Beale, senior vice president and general manager, ProQuest. "We are thrilled to be recognized again by our industry peers for this award. The instructional design and educator support, combined with content tailored/appropriate for a range of learning styles and ages, clearly differentiates this educational solution as a stand out in the market."

"This year's finalists are breaking ground with new business models and innovative products. We are pleased to recognize the best in educational technology," said Karen Billings, vice president, education division, SIIA. "I look forward to honoring them all in May at the Education Industry Summit."

About SIIASIIA is the leading association representing the software and digital content industries. SIIA represents approximately 800 member companies worldwide that develop software and digital information content. Information technology (IT) and software security are critical issues to SIIA's members, many of whom strive to develop safe, secure and state-of the-art products that effectively serve their commercial and government customers alike, while protecting their intellectual property. The SIIA Education Division serves and represents more than 200 member companies that provide software, digital content, and other technologies that address educational needs. The Division shapes and supports the industry by providing leadership, advocacy, business development opportunities, and critical market information. For more information, visit www.siia.net/education.

About ProQuest (www.proquest.com) ProQuest connects people with vetted, reliable information. Key to serious research, the company's products are a gateway to the world's knowledge including dissertations, governmental and cultural archives, news, historical collections and ebooks. ProQuest technologies serve users across the critical points in research, helping them discover, access, share, create and manage information.

The company's cloud-based technologies offer flexible solutions for librarians, students and researchers through the ProQuest®, Bowker®, Dialog®, EBL®, ebrary® and Serials Solutions® businesses – and notable research tools such as the Summon® discovery service, the RefWorks® Flow™ collaboration platform, the Pivot™ research development tool and the Intota™ library services platform. The company is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with offices around the world.